CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — This is definitely no beach bunny.
According to KRIS-TV and the San Antonio Express-News, wildlife officials in Texas spotted an alligator sunning near Malaquite Beach along the Padre Island National Seashore on Monday.
“Yesterday we had an unusual visitor on Malaquite Beach!” PINS captioned a photo of the reptile in a Facebook post Tuesday. “This young American alligator came all the way from Louisiana, as indicated by the tail notch and tags found on its rear feet. After consulting with our partners at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the animal was transported to a rehabilitation facility to recover from its long journey. See ya later, alligator!”
The post quickly went viral, racking up more than 7,100 shares and 6,700 reactions by Wednesday morning.
The National Ocean Service said gators spend most of their time in fresh water but “can tolerate saltwater for a few hours or even days,” the Express-News reported.